Politics

By Doina Chiacu and Toni Clarke WASHINGTON, May 29 – U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the news media and dismissed leaks from the White House as “fake news” on Sunday, following reports his son-in-law tried to set up a secret channel of communications with Moscow before Trump took office. Shortly after Trump’s remarks on Twitter,

DUBAI, May 28- Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for improved relations with Gulf Arab countries during a telephone call with the emir of Qatar, which has come under fire from its Gulf neighbours over its relationship with Tehran. Iran and the Gulf Arab states are backing opposing sides in the Syrian and Yemen

DOHA, May 25 – Qatar on Thursday played down fears of a rift with fellow Gulf Arab states over what it said were fake remarks by its emir criticising U.S. foreign policy, saying they shared the same interests and fate. “Qatar is always in favour of maintaining strong and brotherly relations with GCC (Gulf Cooperation

ANKARA, May 25 – Iran has built a third underground ballistic missile production factory and will keep developing its missile programme, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday, in a development likely to fuel tension with Arab neighbours and Washington. “Iran’s third underground factory has been built by the Guards in recent years …

Has Trump taken credit for Obama’s weapons’ sales? By Awad Mustafa The single largest military deal in American history signed on Saturday, May 20th in Riyadh may have appeared as a foreign policy coup for U.S. President Donald Trump. However the deal was a coup for Saudi Arabia as its military has been undergoing a major

CAIRO, May 24 – Qatar said on Wednesday its state news agency had been hacked, after it reported remarks purportedly by its ruler criticizing aspects of U.S. foreign policy in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The comments attributed to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani continued to be carried

By Jenna Le Bras “Two years ago, attacks were concentrated in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah. Now, they also happen in Al Arish,” notes Ashraf Al Sharif, specialist of terrorist movements in Egypt, underlining the geographical progression of the group towards the west of the country. This area, (Al Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, Rafah), called “the triangle”

By Jeff Mason BETHLEHEM, West Bank, May 23 – U.S. President Donald Trump travelled in a high-security convoy to Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday to discuss Middle East peace with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Much of central and southern Jerusalem was shut down to allow the presidential motorcade of around 60 vehicles

DUBAI, May 22 – Iran accused the United States on Monday of selling arms to “dangerous terrorists” in the Middle East and of spreading “Iranophobia” aimed at encouraging Arab states to purchase arms, state television reported. “Once again, by his repetitive and baseless claims about Iran, the American president … tried to encourage the countries

JERUSALEM, May 21 (Reuters) – Israel expressed muted concern on Sunday to a major arms deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia announced a day earlier during the visit to the region by U.S. President Donald Trump. The central achievement of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia was nearly $110 billion in deals sealed on